UNSC Frigate
The Frigate is a light capital warship hull classificaiton used in the UNSC. It is the most commonly used ship in the UNSC Navy due to its cheap manufacturing and maintanance costs. Although it is considerably lacks firepower and armor when compared to its larger cousin the UNSC Destroyer, the Frigate is extremely mobile and when fielded en masse the Frigate is a force to be reckoned with. Overview Frigates are the oldest ships to be in service in the UNSC Navy. They have been in service in the Navy since 1900AD and their design has changed little over the century. The Frigate has proven itself from time and time again as a 'powerful' light capital warship. Under the command of a brilliant naval commander, a Frigate can take down a UNSC Destroyer by itself by taking advantage of a Frigates mobility and agility. However the trade off for the Frigates advantages is that it lacks the firepower to take down larger capital warships. Frigates are also one of the few UNSC warships capable of entering into, hovering and even landing inside a planets atmosphere. Layout The Frigate is 550 meters long, One of the most distinct feature of the Frigate is its two long 'noses' that runs from the bridge to the nose of the ship. The upper 'nose' of the ship is the ships Magnetic Accelerator Cannon (MAC) while the lower 'nose' of the ship is the ships Tactical Laser System (TLS). The bridge of the Frigate is located at the top of the ship and at the starting section of the ships MAC. The Frigate also has a cargo hold located at the bottom of the ship, just behind the ships TLS. The cargo bay is where ground vehicles are stored for planet-side operations. The hangar bay is located behind the cargo bay, the hangar is where the Frigates' complement of Longsword Interceptors and Pelican and Albatross Dropships are stationed. The Frigate also carries a dozen SOEIV bays where infantry, usually ODSTs can use to be inserted to the battlefield via insertion pods. As per-standard UNSC protocol dictates, all UNSC ships must carry more than enough 'Bumblebee' escape pods. These escape pods are located at designated sections of the Frigate so that the crew may easily access them in the event of an emergency. Specifications Dimensions A Frigate is 550 meters long, 171 meters wide and 120 meters tall. It is amongst the smallest warships to be ever used by the UNSC. Propulsion Like any other UNSC ships, the Frigate utilizes nuclear fission to generate its power from a Deuterium nuclear fusion reactor which uses a material called deuterium to generate its fuel. For slipspace jumps, the Frigate uses the standard Shawfujikawa Translight Engine to do so. Frigates also possess several maneuvering thrusters which can also be used to propel the Frigater into a new course to avoid incoming enemy fire. Furthermore due to the installation of Neutron Jammers which prevents the process of Nuclear Fission, all nuclear-based technology and therefore the Friate as well are equipped with Neutron Jammer Cancellers which will negate the effect of N-Jammers in a small area. Armament The standard armaments of a Frigate are as follows; *The primary armament of a Frigate is its Magnetic Accelerator Cannon (MAC) which fires a Tungsten slug at 75% the speed of light used primarily for ship-to-ship combat. *Frigates are outfitted with six Tactical Laser Systems which are essentially a form of point-defense laser system used for anti-missile and even anti-ship combat. *Scattered throughout the hull of the Frigate are forty Archer Missile pods (50 missiles inside each pod totaling up to 2000 missiles) and twenty Oversized Archer Missile Pods (60 missiles in each pod). Archer missiles are primarily used for either ship-to-ship combat in conjunction with the MAC. *There are also an undisclosed number of Horizon MIRVs which can be outfitted with either conventional or nuclear warheads. *50mm Point Defense Gun x4 (for defense against fighters/dropships) *58mm Belerophon Close In Weapon System (CIWS) Hull and Shielding The Frigate is equipped with 70 centimeters of Titanium A battleplate which is still very light when compared to the armor used by other warships in the UNSC. Despite of this though the light armor is responsible for allowing the maneuravability of the Frigate. Furthermore this is actually an increase in the armor plating since 2008. When it was first created the Frigate was only equipped with 60 centimeters of Titanium A battleplate. While the armor thickness was fine against projectile weapons, when the armor is hit with energy weapons the armor melts quickly. It was not until 8NE when the decision came down to increase the armor thickness up to 70 centimeters with a reflective coating to be added which will disperse incoming energy projectiles, spreading and thinning out the heat instead of having the energy focus at one point of the ships armor and burning through layers of hull. Furthermore the Frigates have also been recently equipped in 2010 with energy shields that were previously only used on capital warships. Now all types of Light Capital Warships are equipped with energy shields, increasing the defenses of the Frigate. Future The Frigate is expected to continue to remain in service in the UNSC in the long term run as there is currently no need to develop newer type of Frigates. Category:UNSC Navy Ships